Airboat captain who lost hand to gator faces charge of feeding the reptile

EVERGLADES CITY — An airboat captain whose hand was bitten off by a 9-foot alligator faces charges of feeding of the animal.

Collier County jail records show 63-year-old Wallace Weatherholt was booked Friday and faces a charge of unlawful feeding of an alligator. He later posted $1,000 bail and was released.

Weatherholt was attacked June 12 as he was giving an Indiana family a tour of the Everglades. The family said Weatherholt hung a fish over the side of the boat and had his hand at the water's surface when the alligator attacked.

Wildlife officers tracked and euthanized the gator. Weatherholt's hand was found but could not be reattached.

A criminal investigation followed. Feeding alligators is a second-degree misdemeanor.